A Foucauldian perspective on electronic nursing documentation

This paper aims to demonstrate the relevance of Michel Foucault’s work for revealing how electronic nursing documentation is enmeshed in processes of power. Applying Foucault’s concept of biopower, provides a critical perspective on the increasing use of artificial intelligence and the commodification of patient data, outlining how these may undermine person-centred care and health equality. Arguing that nurses should take a leadership role in shaping the future of technology in healthcare, this paper suggests that Foucault’s concepts of counter-conduct, counter-discourse and care of the self, invites nurses to imagine how they can move from being agents of biopower to agents of rebellion.